The Emperor's New Folly
by Blue Quartz Foxy
Summary: Post-series timeline. Greed/Ran Fan/Ling. "I could make you a queen". Greed promises. Ran Fan refuses. Ling protests. And the circle completes and repeats. Based on FMBA


Title: The Emperor's New Folly  
Series: Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood  
Character/Pairing: Greed/Ran Fan/Ling  
Theme: January 11 (Love laughs at a king)  
Artist: Ella Fitzgerald  
Song: Sweet Dreams  
Rating: PG-13/T  
Word Count: 1,768  
Notes: Post-Series time line, with some fan speculation tossed in. Originally posted in Daily_Lyric Live Journal

Disclaimer: I do known own the anime/manga series Full Metal Alchemist, characters included.

Perched on a pillar, Ran Fan blinked twice then repeated the request. It seemed so unreal. The guard below replied, "I don't understand it either. Yet, the Emperor requested you come to his chambers immediately. You'd better go."

Hesitance, so strong even the guard could read it through her body language.

"It's alright, I'll take over your watch."

'That's not what I'm worried about.' Ran Fan mentally added. However, the guardsman had a point. She'd better haul ass and meet the Emperor, before he went the extra step to send escorts.

With that in mind, she took a flying leap off her guard-stand, hopping up to the rooftop and quickly crossed into the servant's quarters. The light weight black cloth of her uniform was shed, replaced with a simple linen robe. It was a safe and neutral beige color. Even though she had been gifted many robes in orange, yellow, and purple; Ran Fan knew these 'gifts' would never see the light of day, let alone on her body.

She was not royalty, so bright colors were out of the question. And it was a serious crime to wear purple, or shades of it; unless you were the Emperor or one of his many wives. As she dressed and put on slippers, after abandoning the tabi socks and sandals; Ran Fan wondered what he wanted this time.

And which 'him', had called for her? That question always bothered her.

Boredom was not fit for a king. So many women at his beck and call. More riches than a man could request. Yet, Emperor Ling found himself craving more than the abundance of creature comforts. So, he gave into the whims of the 'other half'. The foolish man wanted to see an old friend, thirsted for company that wasn't forced upon him.

Greed was intrigued by the request and allowed it to come true. Ling pushed, strained, and tried to maneuver around the defenses, trying to get to the forefront of their shared body.

A chuckle came from the man lounging on a pile of pillows, "Be patient. I want to talk to her first, pick the woman's brain if you will. Then you'll have your time."

If you try to force yourself on her...

Greed sneered. Really now, his other self, was such a narrow-minded prick. He took good care of the wives. No complaints, no physical harm, or any flashes of temper on his part. The plucky guard-dog, would be treated with the same care. She was after all, one of his many possessions that Greed took pride in.

Not yours. Never yours!

It was really amusing, how defensive this one became, at the mere thought of Ran Fan. Speaking of the woman, he was alerted to her presence, when the guards opened the doors to her. The smug smile on his lips lost it's luster, when she stepped into his chambers; wearing a peasant's plain robe. He had bought her such nice clothes. Yet she refused to wear them, citing it was against this conduct code, contrary to that worthless law.

He decided not to comment on her attire. It was a marked improvement she came without the mask, the masculine clothes, and her hair restricted in a tight bun. Waving her over, offering a seat right next to him, Ran Fan only meet the Emperor's request half-way- seating herself on a cushion far to his left and out of reach.

Such a bother, this woman. She was strictly trained to follow protocol and was an excellent guard. Yet, for all her training, Ran Fan was still a woman. There had to be some gentle feelings, somewhere underneath all that armor. A woman didn't take up a weapon, cut off her arm, get a new one, and defend a man to the death; without there being 'something' there.

Greed wasn't sure why her resistance puzzled him. No, wait he did know. He just didn't want to admit the reason to himself. Better not give the 'other half' something to gloat about.

"Why are you always so distant? You know me, I'd never do anything to hurt you. In fact, I want to reward you. You've been the most loyal servant to me. So, why reject my gifts, my summons?" he questioned, switching on the smooth talk. She didn't melt, twitter in excitement, or even blush- like the wives were known to do. Instead, Ran Fan sat up right, her shoulders tense and back impossibly straight.

When she did not answer, Greed hung his head, before serving himself more wine- incidentally it was right next to her, so he had to reach. She only reacted as his fingers 'accidentally' brushed her hand. Taking notice of the shiver, Greed switched from grabbing the wine vessel, to covering the smaller hand with his.

Instantly, her gaze snapped up and was drawn into his eyes. It looked like him. Sounded like him. But for the flawless masquerade, Ran Fan knew this man wasn't Prince Ling. She'd respect this man and faithfully serve him as the Emperor. But, this thing which had taken over Ling's body; would never have the privilege of knowing her thoughts.

"Are you cold?"

Brown eyes grew wide, a lapse in judgment as she let the touch linger. Then, so as not to offend her lord, Ran Fan eased her hand away. Still, the question hung in air, unanswered. The void of conversation refused to be filled by silence. Greed loved to talk, more so when there was a captive( if not captivated) audience.

"Would you like something to drink?"

Ran Fan cleared her throat, "I'd rather not..." the words cut off as he poured her a cup anyway. It was held out, ready for her to accept. Swallowing down a hard lump, she reluctantly accepted, yet didn't take a drink.

A chuckle, "It's not poisoned. Or if it was, I'd be dead by now...or rather, he'd be dead."

The fear was evident in her eyes. His instincts were on the money.

Stop it. Quit toying with Ran Fan like this.

How pathetic was this? The other self couldn't even stand to see the woman in the slightest emotional distress. And that arm, she took no pains in hiding, clenched. Her natural limb had more control, but since the Automail was still a new addition; it expressed her tense stance readily.

Lazily, Greed skimmed the lip of his glass with a index finger, "So stubborn and willful. But, I have to say, that's what intrigues me the most about you."

She was too aware and careful to allow him to get too close. So much so, his carefully constructed webs of platitudes and flattery, wouldn't reach Ran Fan. Therefore, shock had to suffice.

"I could make you a queen."

Her eyes grew wide. Lips pressing then parting as though looking for something to say. Yet, she was quick to recover. Citing yet another law.

"You can't. I'm not a noblewoman. And..." a gasp escaped Ran Fan. While her mind had searched for reason to deny his offer, Greed took the advantage of closing the gap between them. His head was aching from the other raging at this closeness. After all this time, Ling viewed him as the monster. Well, well...who took in a 'monster', to achieve his own selfish ends?

Greed rested his case, once the other's voice was silenced, the man inside eaten alive by guilt. A man loses his right to call another being 'monster', once he's shaken hands and struck a bargain with said devil.

"I'm hurt, " he whispered, so close to her ear, which was concealed by a silk-like curtain of unbound hair.

"...that you have such little faith in me. You've seen what I can do as Emperor. I can order men to move mountains, just to find me gold dust and diamond pebbles. I can sway a government to close and open. If I say the sun won't rise in the morning, people will shutter their windows, until the next day."

There was a subtle twitch to her lips, still she attempted to remained composed and unmoved.

"It'd be a small thing. An edict from me, a piece of paper signed and sealed by me, and you could be a 'noblewoman'. You could be by my side forever. Correction, you could be a 'his' side."

It was a slow crawl, inch by inch, she tried to move away from him. This blind effort to escape, resulted in her falling off the cushion and landing arms braced against the marble floor.

However, if this retreat was to be taken as weakness, it would be a grave error in judgment. Because, when Greed moved to touch her face, Ran Fan was quick to react. Her Automail arm swung around, grasping his hand.

Yes. This was exactly what he wanted! This anger, this...fire! True, he had many, many wives. Each catered to his every whim without complaint. But, what they all lacked was strong emotions. Each and every last one of them were spineless and eager to please. They laid back and sang his praises, all the while wishing for nothing more than conceiving a child.

Ran Fan, as noted previously, was not like those women. This was made clearly by her words, "I will never become one of your wives. I won't be just another possession," she snarled. Loyalty, laws, and etiquette forgotten in the wake of defending her individuality.

He was so close, they were barely a breath apart, leaning off the cushions and nearly on top of one another on the hard marble floor.

"Hn, we'll see about that. I'll let you think about it. Right now, there's someone who wants to speak to you."

With that, Greed willingly retreated, letting the original owner of this body, come forward. The change was instantaneous. Again, he looked the same, sounded exactly the same. The mask was flawless. Yet, Ran Fan felt when the personality change occurred.

And willingly embraced the Prince as he profusely apologized, for a sin committed years ago. This was wrong in of itself. She shouldn't be touching him, what with being a lowly guardian. However, Ran Fan forced herself to look the other way. Ling needed her to be a confidant, a friend, not a guard.

She could break the rules, this one time. And while they held each other, Greed laughed, mocking their foolishness. Yet, he was still on the outside, looking in.

So, who really was the 'fool'?

Notes: Although this isn't my 'first' Full Metal Alchemist fic, this was my first time writing Ran Fan/Lan Fan. Hopefully, I did her character justice. Thanks for reading!

On a minor note: I first wrote this one-shot as contribution to the Live Journal group Daily_Lyric. At the Daily_Lyric we use song lyrics, for fan fic prompts. If you're interested in a new way to become inspired, please look into joining our humble group.


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